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Who: EVERYONE
When: Monday, February 22nd
Where: Castle Ford, Lake Luzerne, NY
What: Cinna throws a birthday party for Bernadine and Abby. CHAOS ENSUES.
Rating: Let's just say probably NSFW
Cinna tried hard to keep secrets, she really did. But somehow, through someone, her super secret surprise birthday party for Abernathy had become known, and people from all corners were asking questions about it-- when was it, where was it, what should they bring, if they could bring a friend... before she knew it, word of a giant bender she was organizing over holiday had gotten out, and everyone in the school seemed to think they were invited. She was pretty sure some of them didn't even realize this was specifically for Abby's birthday.
She gave up on her awesome idea of a small, cozy bash and informed her best friend (actually Bernadine, as she had still not figured this out) with a rather sheepish face that she was maybe possibly accidentally hosting a giant party... at Abby's house. On her birthday. And that everyone was coming. Everyone.
Somehow, Bernadine convinced Abernathy that this wouldn't be such a disaster. They could get Bill out of the house with a quick call to Aunt Veruca and some convoluted excuse get him down to NOLA for the week. Mardi Gras not withstanding, Bill trusted his grown kids with their house. Big mistake.
Abby sat her sister down before Cinna arrived to hash out last minute plans. "So here's the thing. I can't be me at this fucking party." She groaned again as if to say how did I let you talk me into this again? "If Stas is coming... He's coming?"
Bernadine nodded. He'd texted her earlier that he wouldn't miss it for the world and damn her if her stomach didn't tumble just a bit. She wished, for a moment, that he wasn't being so sweet and wonderful and that faking dating him wasn't the most fun and interesting thing she'd done since changing places with her sister.
"I can't be dating him. And he's already in on the know. So he's just going to have to continue pretending and I'll do my best to be quiet and weird."
"Thanks," Bernadine replied ruefully, but she softened considerably at the smirk on Abby's face.
Neither of them could quite grasp how much they'd each changed in the few months since their ruse began. Abby finished tidying up their room and making space for anyone who might want to crash at Castle Ford. Bernadine hid anything that might be breakable and made sure to idiot proof their house.
Timmy lounged in his pajama bottoms, enjoying his sisters being so productive. "You know we're having people over," Abby pointed out.
Tim shrugged, because he'd put pants on so long as Adelaide was coming. Otherwise he was going to hole up in his room with some serious headphones and wait until the pot got passed around to come out.
As usual, Cinna was the first to arrive. Newly licensed to Apparate, she showed up on the doorstep with an armful of giant bags full of snacks and drinks and thrust it all upon the person to open the door-- she didn't stop long enough to see who it was before vanishing again, and reappearing moments later with ANOTHER armful of supplies. She felt slightly bad about accidentally volunteering Abby's family's home as a party venue, so she was going to make up for it by ensuring that aside from the location, nothing else would have to be provided.
"Ohmygod you guys, I think I left my house with more lemonade than this. Do you think there's like, lemonade floating about in nothingness right now just waiting to bean someone in the head on their way to work? Fuck, can I get in trouble for that?" She started ripping open bags in a mild panic. All the food was there, but she was definitely short some of the drinks. She turned to Bernadine. "Maybe I left it at my house?" Then she turned to Abernathy, and looked between the twins. "Man," she said with a foolish little grin. "You guys. If it weren't for your awful shirts Abby, I don't think I could tell you apart!"
She shook her head. "I'm going to just run by my kitchen again-- I'm like a billion percent sure I left stuff behind." She poked at the general array of snacks left on the bench. "I totally brought Cheez-its to keep Braden happy and out of the way, and I definitely had pink vodka too. I am such a ditz!" She checked over everything again, and disapparated with a little noise of disgust, muttering about how she was certain she'd picked everything up and this is why she should have just organized the party at her place so that everything was already there and she couldn't possibly forget it in her mad panic to get there early.
Shortly after Cinna left the second time, Shy arrived having driven from Burnham City all by himself, with not a crash or a speeding ticket to show for it. This was most definitely being pointed out to Abernathy with smugface intact. That is, after she explained to him again what it was that was happening with this party. She sounded a little stressed when she mentioned it the first time; something about her 'completely insane best friend' who was under the impression that she was her sister and that her sister was her... He couldn't quite make sense of it, even thinking about it the entire drive up.
Abernathy turned to Bernadine as soon as Cinna quite literally popped out. "We have to change. Right now."
Bernadine laughed, glad that Cinna had mistaken them for each other and then even more amused because she was wearing a skirt, which meant that Abernathy would be wearing her clothes for the rest of the night.
"It'll never work," Timmy called from the living room couch as the girls ran into their room to switch clothing.
"It really only needs to work on Cinna," Bernadine called back. That and Addy and Stas and Timmy had to keep up their part of the bargain. Oh god, and so did Abby's boyfriend. Bernadine made one last suggestion; Abby needed to spell her hair to grow out some and make the streak of violent purple disappear. Luckily Cinna had been too distracted to notice that they were wearing the same haircut and the only difference was the color of Abby's signature streak.
"It'll be fine," Abby reassured her, grabbing her wand and performing the proposed tweaks. She slipped out to the living room in time to see Shylock opening the door. She rushed up to him and tossed her arms around him happily, not even thinking how weird it might be to hug her when she looked like Bernadine.
He was taken aback at first, before realizing that it was in fact Abernathy jumping on him at that point. She'd changed her hair in the few days since he'd last seen her and... "Are you wearing a skirt?" He squeezed her waist tightly and pulled her close, bending down to press a very appreciative kiss to her lips. "I like."
Cinna showed up again, this time with the missing bag of drinks. She almost ran into the back of Shy barging through the door, squealing loudly when she saw who she thought to be Bernadine kissing the stranger. "Bernadiiiiine! You have a boyfriend!"
Abby feigned a blush, a very good blush and leaned sweetly into Shylock's embrace. "I do," she replied in that tone of voice Bernadine liked to use when she was pretending not to be so terribly aware of the situation.
Shy side-eyed her a bit, trying not to be too obvious about it. It finally dawned on him that this was what Abby was freaking out over on the phone-- she had to pretend to be Bernadine for this thing, which meant he had to pretend she was Bernadine too. That was slightly awkward. He released his hold on her so that she wasn't pulled so tightly up against him, and smiled awkwardly. "You must be Cinna."
"I am!" Cinna responded happily. "And you are... apart from taking this heavy-ass bag off me?" She gave him a cheeky grin and shoved the bag of drinks at him.
"Shy," he managed, before having to completely let go of Abby to take the bag before it crashed to the floor and spilled everywhere.
"Thank yoooou! So like, me and Abby can probably introduce you guys to everyone but c'mon, you're totally just going to sit on the couch and make out all night aren't you?" She teased. "You won't even know the rest of us are here! Abby? ABBY? When is your boyfriend getting here?" She barrelled on past them towards the kitchen again.
Abby grinned at Shylock as soon as Cinna was gone and properly distracted. "You're doing great," she assured him and snuck in a particularly lascivious kiss.
Bernadine on the other hand was fighting the furious blush that was trying to sneak onto her cheeks. "Not here yet," she replied, half calling out and half speaking quieter as Cinna approached her. "You know Timmy," she said, gesturing to her layabout brother who was thoroughly enjoying his visit home. His campus had been closed for the day and he could drive up early in the morning to make his classes tomorrow. There was no way he was missing the hilarity of Abby pretending to be Bernadine who was pretending to be Abby.
"Course she knows me," he said, getting up and hugging Cinna. Though, admittedly, most of the times Cinna had been over he'd been tromping around in the woods behind their house and shooting things. He couldn't say that they'd ever spent a good deal of quality time together.
"Everyone knows me," Cinna said with a grin, hugging him back and not letting go. "I'm just amazing! And okay, I guess you are too," she teased. "I've got Bernadiney's boyfriend bringing in the drinks! I did leave them behind! I was so freaking out about not forgetting shit that THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED." She bounced up and down, laughing. "Go put some pants on, Timmy. Everyone will be here soon!"
As if on cue, Adelaide apparated onto the front lawn. She didn't know for certain what time everyone else was getting there, but she had told Bernadine she would try and show up early in case B needed her to distract Cinna if things started getting a bit difficult. She could ask the loudmouth for... hair advice or something. She was very wary of such a scheme-- obviously Bernadine could pull off being brash, abrasive Abernathy, but she didn't know as much that Abernathy could be Bernadine, even for short periods of time.
She pushed on through the front door, battling down a smirk as she saw Abernathy wearing one of Bernadine's skirts. "You actually look nice," she said, trying not to laugh.
Abby frowned at Addy. Their tenuous peace could break over the course of the night. "Thank you," she replied with so much forced sweetness that she almost gagged on it. At the very least, her sister wasn't quite as sweet as this anymore. She leaned her head on Shylock's arm and leaned casually against the wall. "You're looking lovely as ever."
Bernadine tried not to listen in on this exchange. Forcing it a little hard, Abby. "Hey, Cin, what do you say we get this fucking party started early!" Drinking, that was always a good distraction.
In the meantime, Timmy bolted to his room at the sound of Adelaide's voice to put on a pair of decent jeans and maybe try and arrange his man-beard into a more pleasing shape.
"Not into drinking, Timmy?" Cinna yelled after him as he ditched her to run into his room. Then she laughed and high-fived 'Abernathy'. "Yeah, let's get this show on the road! Also, maybe hide some food under the sink or something just in case Braden shows up early. Gotta make sure there's snackies for all!"
Adelaide froze in the hallway at the sound of Cinna talking about Tim. She didn't think he'd be here, though it was vacation and she probably should have expected he would be. This could get awkward. She didn't know for certain if Luka was going to show (after all, it was supposed to be a party for Abernathy) and not having mentioned either boy to the other... she winced to herself. Maybe it would be fine? Maybe Luka wouldn't come, and maybe she and Tim wouldn't get too silly drunk, and maybe Carly wouldn't start up a hundred billion rumours just to be a bitch... oh god, she was fucked.
Cinna poked her head out of the kitchen to beam down the hallway at Shy and 'Bernadine'. "Do you guys want shots?"
"Oh..." Shy looked a little puzzled, and smiled down at Abby. "I dunno. Do you drink, Bernadine?" This was potentially a very entertaining level of weird.
"Not often," Abernathy replied.
"But it's our birthday!" Bernadine goaded gleefully. How many times had Abernathy done this to her? This was possibly the best/worst idea they'd ever had and she was going to milk every minute of it.
A knock sounded at the door and Bernadine rushed off, leaving Abernathy to wrestle her way out of shots with Cinna. She opened the door to find Anastas with a nicely wrapped gift in his hand. He was wearing one of his smoking jackets, but this one was less ostentatious than the red velvet. She stepped out quickly and closed the door behind her. She wanted to kiss him on the cheek, but that seemed off so she settled instead for a pleasant hug. "So, Abby's pretending to me and I'm pretending to be her. Please don't stab her in the face while she's being me."
"Will she promise to do the same?" he asked lightly and eased into the hug far more than he thought was polite. He pulled away gently. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"
Bernadine laughed. Abernathy hadn't so much promised that she wouldn't kill Stas, but she'd try her best. Then she touched his arm. It was a strange thing, but she could feel past that little brush of her fingers over the fabric of his jacket and find the tail end of a vision regarding the evening. What she saw wasn't pretty, but it also wasn't outright discovery. Their secret would be safe, even if they all returned after break still hungover and not talking to any of their friends. She smiled at the very end of the vision and blinked up at Stas. "It'll be fine," she promised. She ushered him inside and before she moved to join the others taped a sign to the door that said "Come on in."
Over the next twenty minutes or so, students and friends began arriving from all over, Apparating from their homes or Portkeying in groups to get to the isolated little house hosting the biggest event since New Years. Most read the sign on the door and barged their way through.
Some, like Riley, stood outside and smoked despite the cold, simply because no fucking sign was going to tell him what to do. Until he was unable to feel his feet, at any rate-- but then he would come on in because he wanted to, not because some fascist handwritten sign suggested it.
Braden didn't even notice the sign. He went in and made a beeline for the kitchen, simply because that's where the food was bound to be. He pushed past a group of people chatting animatedly by the kitchen door and ducked Cinna's instruction that he should maybe socialize some before hoarding the food, setting up camp by the counter with the fritos.
Cinna just rolled her eyes, mouthed 'what a fucking snackass' at 'Abby', and took a bag full of shot glasses and tucked a bottle of booze under each arm. She wiggled through the growing crowd to start loading bottles onto a table in the living room, and poured a line of shots once she had done to hand out to everyone in reach. "To the birthday girls!"
Luka arrived without a present for the birthday girls, because he was really only here for Addy anyway. It took him some time wading through the bodies to find her and loop his arm over her shoulder. Her eye looked quite a bit better, at the very least he could stop feeling guilty about that one.
When: Monday, February 22nd
Where: Castle Ford, Lake Luzerne, NY
What: Cinna throws a birthday party for Bernadine and Abby. CHAOS ENSUES.
Rating: Let's just say probably NSFW
Cinna tried hard to keep secrets, she really did. But somehow, through someone, her super secret surprise birthday party for Abernathy had become known, and people from all corners were asking questions about it-- when was it, where was it, what should they bring, if they could bring a friend... before she knew it, word of a giant bender she was organizing over holiday had gotten out, and everyone in the school seemed to think they were invited. She was pretty sure some of them didn't even realize this was specifically for Abby's birthday.
She gave up on her awesome idea of a small, cozy bash and informed her best friend (actually Bernadine, as she had still not figured this out) with a rather sheepish face that she was maybe possibly accidentally hosting a giant party... at Abby's house. On her birthday. And that everyone was coming. Everyone.
Somehow, Bernadine convinced Abernathy that this wouldn't be such a disaster. They could get Bill out of the house with a quick call to Aunt Veruca and some convoluted excuse get him down to NOLA for the week. Mardi Gras not withstanding, Bill trusted his grown kids with their house. Big mistake.
Abby sat her sister down before Cinna arrived to hash out last minute plans. "So here's the thing. I can't be me at this fucking party." She groaned again as if to say how did I let you talk me into this again? "If Stas is coming... He's coming?"
Bernadine nodded. He'd texted her earlier that he wouldn't miss it for the world and damn her if her stomach didn't tumble just a bit. She wished, for a moment, that he wasn't being so sweet and wonderful and that faking dating him wasn't the most fun and interesting thing she'd done since changing places with her sister.
"I can't be dating him. And he's already in on the know. So he's just going to have to continue pretending and I'll do my best to be quiet and weird."
"Thanks," Bernadine replied ruefully, but she softened considerably at the smirk on Abby's face.
Neither of them could quite grasp how much they'd each changed in the few months since their ruse began. Abby finished tidying up their room and making space for anyone who might want to crash at Castle Ford. Bernadine hid anything that might be breakable and made sure to idiot proof their house.
Timmy lounged in his pajama bottoms, enjoying his sisters being so productive. "You know we're having people over," Abby pointed out.
Tim shrugged, because he'd put pants on so long as Adelaide was coming. Otherwise he was going to hole up in his room with some serious headphones and wait until the pot got passed around to come out.
As usual, Cinna was the first to arrive. Newly licensed to Apparate, she showed up on the doorstep with an armful of giant bags full of snacks and drinks and thrust it all upon the person to open the door-- she didn't stop long enough to see who it was before vanishing again, and reappearing moments later with ANOTHER armful of supplies. She felt slightly bad about accidentally volunteering Abby's family's home as a party venue, so she was going to make up for it by ensuring that aside from the location, nothing else would have to be provided.
"Ohmygod you guys, I think I left my house with more lemonade than this. Do you think there's like, lemonade floating about in nothingness right now just waiting to bean someone in the head on their way to work? Fuck, can I get in trouble for that?" She started ripping open bags in a mild panic. All the food was there, but she was definitely short some of the drinks. She turned to Bernadine. "Maybe I left it at my house?" Then she turned to Abernathy, and looked between the twins. "Man," she said with a foolish little grin. "You guys. If it weren't for your awful shirts Abby, I don't think I could tell you apart!"
She shook her head. "I'm going to just run by my kitchen again-- I'm like a billion percent sure I left stuff behind." She poked at the general array of snacks left on the bench. "I totally brought Cheez-its to keep Braden happy and out of the way, and I definitely had pink vodka too. I am such a ditz!" She checked over everything again, and disapparated with a little noise of disgust, muttering about how she was certain she'd picked everything up and this is why she should have just organized the party at her place so that everything was already there and she couldn't possibly forget it in her mad panic to get there early.
Shortly after Cinna left the second time, Shy arrived having driven from Burnham City all by himself, with not a crash or a speeding ticket to show for it. This was most definitely being pointed out to Abernathy with smugface intact. That is, after she explained to him again what it was that was happening with this party. She sounded a little stressed when she mentioned it the first time; something about her 'completely insane best friend' who was under the impression that she was her sister and that her sister was her... He couldn't quite make sense of it, even thinking about it the entire drive up.
Abernathy turned to Bernadine as soon as Cinna quite literally popped out. "We have to change. Right now."
Bernadine laughed, glad that Cinna had mistaken them for each other and then even more amused because she was wearing a skirt, which meant that Abernathy would be wearing her clothes for the rest of the night.
"It'll never work," Timmy called from the living room couch as the girls ran into their room to switch clothing.
"It really only needs to work on Cinna," Bernadine called back. That and Addy and Stas and Timmy had to keep up their part of the bargain. Oh god, and so did Abby's boyfriend. Bernadine made one last suggestion; Abby needed to spell her hair to grow out some and make the streak of violent purple disappear. Luckily Cinna had been too distracted to notice that they were wearing the same haircut and the only difference was the color of Abby's signature streak.
"It'll be fine," Abby reassured her, grabbing her wand and performing the proposed tweaks. She slipped out to the living room in time to see Shylock opening the door. She rushed up to him and tossed her arms around him happily, not even thinking how weird it might be to hug her when she looked like Bernadine.
He was taken aback at first, before realizing that it was in fact Abernathy jumping on him at that point. She'd changed her hair in the few days since he'd last seen her and... "Are you wearing a skirt?" He squeezed her waist tightly and pulled her close, bending down to press a very appreciative kiss to her lips. "I like."
Cinna showed up again, this time with the missing bag of drinks. She almost ran into the back of Shy barging through the door, squealing loudly when she saw who she thought to be Bernadine kissing the stranger. "Bernadiiiiine! You have a boyfriend!"
Abby feigned a blush, a very good blush and leaned sweetly into Shylock's embrace. "I do," she replied in that tone of voice Bernadine liked to use when she was pretending not to be so terribly aware of the situation.
Shy side-eyed her a bit, trying not to be too obvious about it. It finally dawned on him that this was what Abby was freaking out over on the phone-- she had to pretend to be Bernadine for this thing, which meant he had to pretend she was Bernadine too. That was slightly awkward. He released his hold on her so that she wasn't pulled so tightly up against him, and smiled awkwardly. "You must be Cinna."
"I am!" Cinna responded happily. "And you are... apart from taking this heavy-ass bag off me?" She gave him a cheeky grin and shoved the bag of drinks at him.
"Shy," he managed, before having to completely let go of Abby to take the bag before it crashed to the floor and spilled everywhere.
"Thank yoooou! So like, me and Abby can probably introduce you guys to everyone but c'mon, you're totally just going to sit on the couch and make out all night aren't you?" She teased. "You won't even know the rest of us are here! Abby? ABBY? When is your boyfriend getting here?" She barrelled on past them towards the kitchen again.
Abby grinned at Shylock as soon as Cinna was gone and properly distracted. "You're doing great," she assured him and snuck in a particularly lascivious kiss.
Bernadine on the other hand was fighting the furious blush that was trying to sneak onto her cheeks. "Not here yet," she replied, half calling out and half speaking quieter as Cinna approached her. "You know Timmy," she said, gesturing to her layabout brother who was thoroughly enjoying his visit home. His campus had been closed for the day and he could drive up early in the morning to make his classes tomorrow. There was no way he was missing the hilarity of Abby pretending to be Bernadine who was pretending to be Abby.
"Course she knows me," he said, getting up and hugging Cinna. Though, admittedly, most of the times Cinna had been over he'd been tromping around in the woods behind their house and shooting things. He couldn't say that they'd ever spent a good deal of quality time together.
"Everyone knows me," Cinna said with a grin, hugging him back and not letting go. "I'm just amazing! And okay, I guess you are too," she teased. "I've got Bernadiney's boyfriend bringing in the drinks! I did leave them behind! I was so freaking out about not forgetting shit that THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED." She bounced up and down, laughing. "Go put some pants on, Timmy. Everyone will be here soon!"
As if on cue, Adelaide apparated onto the front lawn. She didn't know for certain what time everyone else was getting there, but she had told Bernadine she would try and show up early in case B needed her to distract Cinna if things started getting a bit difficult. She could ask the loudmouth for... hair advice or something. She was very wary of such a scheme-- obviously Bernadine could pull off being brash, abrasive Abernathy, but she didn't know as much that Abernathy could be Bernadine, even for short periods of time.
She pushed on through the front door, battling down a smirk as she saw Abernathy wearing one of Bernadine's skirts. "You actually look nice," she said, trying not to laugh.
Abby frowned at Addy. Their tenuous peace could break over the course of the night. "Thank you," she replied with so much forced sweetness that she almost gagged on it. At the very least, her sister wasn't quite as sweet as this anymore. She leaned her head on Shylock's arm and leaned casually against the wall. "You're looking lovely as ever."
Bernadine tried not to listen in on this exchange. Forcing it a little hard, Abby. "Hey, Cin, what do you say we get this fucking party started early!" Drinking, that was always a good distraction.
In the meantime, Timmy bolted to his room at the sound of Adelaide's voice to put on a pair of decent jeans and maybe try and arrange his man-beard into a more pleasing shape.
"Not into drinking, Timmy?" Cinna yelled after him as he ditched her to run into his room. Then she laughed and high-fived 'Abernathy'. "Yeah, let's get this show on the road! Also, maybe hide some food under the sink or something just in case Braden shows up early. Gotta make sure there's snackies for all!"
Adelaide froze in the hallway at the sound of Cinna talking about Tim. She didn't think he'd be here, though it was vacation and she probably should have expected he would be. This could get awkward. She didn't know for certain if Luka was going to show (after all, it was supposed to be a party for Abernathy) and not having mentioned either boy to the other... she winced to herself. Maybe it would be fine? Maybe Luka wouldn't come, and maybe she and Tim wouldn't get too silly drunk, and maybe Carly wouldn't start up a hundred billion rumours just to be a bitch... oh god, she was fucked.
Cinna poked her head out of the kitchen to beam down the hallway at Shy and 'Bernadine'. "Do you guys want shots?"
"Oh..." Shy looked a little puzzled, and smiled down at Abby. "I dunno. Do you drink, Bernadine?" This was potentially a very entertaining level of weird.
"Not often," Abernathy replied.
"But it's our birthday!" Bernadine goaded gleefully. How many times had Abernathy done this to her? This was possibly the best/worst idea they'd ever had and she was going to milk every minute of it.
A knock sounded at the door and Bernadine rushed off, leaving Abernathy to wrestle her way out of shots with Cinna. She opened the door to find Anastas with a nicely wrapped gift in his hand. He was wearing one of his smoking jackets, but this one was less ostentatious than the red velvet. She stepped out quickly and closed the door behind her. She wanted to kiss him on the cheek, but that seemed off so she settled instead for a pleasant hug. "So, Abby's pretending to me and I'm pretending to be her. Please don't stab her in the face while she's being me."
"Will she promise to do the same?" he asked lightly and eased into the hug far more than he thought was polite. He pulled away gently. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"
Bernadine laughed. Abernathy hadn't so much promised that she wouldn't kill Stas, but she'd try her best. Then she touched his arm. It was a strange thing, but she could feel past that little brush of her fingers over the fabric of his jacket and find the tail end of a vision regarding the evening. What she saw wasn't pretty, but it also wasn't outright discovery. Their secret would be safe, even if they all returned after break still hungover and not talking to any of their friends. She smiled at the very end of the vision and blinked up at Stas. "It'll be fine," she promised. She ushered him inside and before she moved to join the others taped a sign to the door that said "Come on in."
Over the next twenty minutes or so, students and friends began arriving from all over, Apparating from their homes or Portkeying in groups to get to the isolated little house hosting the biggest event since New Years. Most read the sign on the door and barged their way through.
Some, like Riley, stood outside and smoked despite the cold, simply because no fucking sign was going to tell him what to do. Until he was unable to feel his feet, at any rate-- but then he would come on in because he wanted to, not because some fascist handwritten sign suggested it.
Braden didn't even notice the sign. He went in and made a beeline for the kitchen, simply because that's where the food was bound to be. He pushed past a group of people chatting animatedly by the kitchen door and ducked Cinna's instruction that he should maybe socialize some before hoarding the food, setting up camp by the counter with the fritos.
Cinna just rolled her eyes, mouthed 'what a fucking snackass' at 'Abby', and took a bag full of shot glasses and tucked a bottle of booze under each arm. She wiggled through the growing crowd to start loading bottles onto a table in the living room, and poured a line of shots once she had done to hand out to everyone in reach. "To the birthday girls!"
Luka arrived without a present for the birthday girls, because he was really only here for Addy anyway. It took him some time wading through the bodies to find her and loop his arm over her shoulder. Her eye looked quite a bit better, at the very least he could stop feeling guilty about that one.
Shots in the Kitchen: Carly/Arnaud/Braden/Veronica
Veronica slid through the crowd, unable to miss a party, even if they never ended very well for her. She tended to get stood up for cheez-its or she pined away in the corner for some guy to ask her to dance and then he ended up walking back to the dorms with someone else. This party will be different, she decided.
Behind her Carly was wearing her usual sluttastic party garb. She shrugged out of her coat, dropping it on the pile near the door. She found her way directly to the drinks counter in the kitchen and poured a very nice slug of tequila for herself.
She found that fat ass Braden already munching at the snacks. It didn't take much to convince him to do a shot of cake flavored vodka with her. "This tastes like plastic."
Veronica frowned at this little display. Sure, Braden had ditched her for cheez-its at Halloweenfest, but what had she expected really? He was the first guy who even bothered to ask her anywhere, and it wasn't out of pity or some social obligation. He seemed to want to spend time with her then. And now he was making eyes at Carly over their shots of ass tasting cake vodka.
Well fuck that noise. Veronica shouldered over to them and stole Braden's shot from under him. She downed it hard and quick. "It's ass," she said pointedly to Braden, throat still burning. "What else have you got?"
Arnaud watched this exchange and wanted to hug Veronica for being so ballsy. You go girl, he thought to himself. Then he figured he might better step in before Veronica got eaten up by the big shark. To that end he insinuated himself among them. "I've got some Silver Skin," he supplied, holding up the bottle that looked like Goldschlager except with silvery looking flakes at the bottom. The taste was similar to birch beer and made the laughter of anyone who drank it sound like pleasantly tinkling bells. "Deal me in."
Carly frowned at him. Why were these bitches constantly blowing up her spot? Mind you, it wasn't the best spot she'd ever conjured up, but fuck. "Accio playing cards," she said with a hefty sigh. She wasn't going to keep doing straight shots with these shits. She found a mixer of ginger ale and dragged it across the counter to her and drummed up some plastic cups, making properly strong drinks for herself and the others. "We're playing asshole. Because that's what you all are," she said, deciding not to spare them her opinions.
Cinnathorn
She ran headfirst into Thorn on her way to the kitchen, smacking her nose right into his chest. She sprang back, rubbing her face and smacking at him with her other hand. "THORN, ow! My FACE. That seriously blows, oh my god!" She took a few seconds to complete her tantrum before flinging herself right back at him and planting a big wet kiss on his mouth.
He was about to launch into a long and pathetic apology (which he was very well practiced of late) and then she was kissing him. Every word or mildly intelligible thought leaped out of his head and he wrapped his arms around her to kiss her better.
Of course, neither of them knew that Carly was staring daggers into their backs. She poured another round of shots for herself, the fat fuck, the gay kid, and the fucking student body president then slammed her shot glass into the counter enough to crack the tile.
Cinna looked around, startled at the loud noise that didn't come from her. "Uh-oh. What did you break?" She gave Thorn a critical look. Abby would never forgive them if they broke something in her house, which there really shouldn't even be a party happening in. And naturally, if something was broken it wasn't much of a stretch to think that it was probably Hawthorne Nikitin who broke it.
"You still break things on your best behavior," she pointed out, but was satisfied that whatever the cracked thing was had nothing (or more likely little) to do with him. "Come drink!" She demanded, grabbing him by the front of the pants and dragging him into the living room with everyone else. "We need to catch up to everyone! Straight shots until we're seeing double!"
"I'm already seeing double," he joked, grabbing her boobs as if to steady himself.
"Ohmygod, four boobs?" She pulled down the front of her shirt as if to check, and then told him, somehow maintaining a straight face, "maybe you should look again."
He popped up on his tip-toes and peered into her shirt. "Oh. My bad. Only two." He leaned over just a bit further and licked up the side of her bra. "And tasty."
She grinned enormously. "Okay, just a couple shots. Enough for screaming laughing, but not enough for whiskey dick. Promise me." She pulled the front of her shirt back up so that he wouldn't be distracted and gave him The Face.
Maddy/Riley
Awkwardpocalypse: Addy/Timmy/Luka
Timmy felt his face fall and struggled to rearrange it into something suitable, something that wouldn't read like a hand of cards face up on the table. When he finally managed it he shot out his hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Timothy Ford."
Luka didn't know if he needed to cover up his gaffe, but surely her brother should know how easily she made enemies and how many of the people here only came because it was a Cinnamynn Thompson production. "Luka Nikitin," he replied a bit stiffly.
"You should meet Bernadi--" Fuck. Bernadine was Abernathy, he couldn't 'meet' her. As amusing as it might be to see Abernathy have to try and play nice, Addy didn't trust her not to snap and completely blow Bernadine's cover. She shook her head and shrugged Luka's arm off her shoulder to point at a box of tissues across the room. "Can you go get? I should clean this up before it fucks up the couch." And then after he turned away, she mumbled "sorry," at Tim, though at this point she didn't know if she was apologizing for the spill, for what Luka said, or for Luka period.
Weirdos: Abernadine and Shy
"Well, then. Bernadine. Heard any scandalous gossip about your sister I should know about?" He teased.
Anastas and Bernadine
"Need a sobering charm?" he breathed very close to her ear.
"No," Bernadine replied a bit hazily. "Kinda like being all loose and floaty." She slumped her head against him. "You don't have to be stuck with me all night."
He smiled genuinely, a sight which was much more common lately. He'd managed to make a few friends at Dresden besides Bernadine. He liked that Thorn kid, though he had a feeling some of his more destructive tendencies would come out if he didn't limit their playtime; hanging out with him at a party was asking for trouble. "If I want to?"
She giggled, god help her she giggled and steadied herself by slinging her arms over his shoulder. All perfectly acceptable behavior when everyone in the room thought they were dating, though her sister kept throwing covert glances of honestly, B? at her. There wasn't really any place she couldn't escape that scrutiny, unless they went out back. She ran her hands down his arm and tugged at his hand. "Let's go outside for a bit."
She plunked down, pulling him with her so that they were sitting on the table, feet on the bench. Abby had been doing her level best to pretend that she didn't really know anyone and was being quiet and weird with her boyfriend. Which was weird enough for Bernadine to see Abby being affectionate with anyone. She set her arm around Stasi's back and slumped her head onto his arm. "You're cozy."
"You are drunk," he replied pleasantly. His own arm wrapped around her, thumb drawing tiny circles at the bottom of her back. It was so comfortable out here with her in the cold, sitting on the table and being away from all the temptations. Of course, Bernadine was slowly becoming a different kind of temptation, the kind he wasn't sure he could ward off.
He was thinking vaguely of Diana, whom he'd seen once over vacation. Heaton wasn't on break, so she had classes while he was hanging out in his brother's apartment. Their apartment now. That's where he lived when school wasn't happening. It was different when he and Diana saw each other again, almost like she knew that something was up.
He explained the ruse, explained how wonderful having Bernadine around was when he needed someone to ground him in his magic workings. She was sweet and funny and entirely not what he was expecting. Diana didn't seem to mind, but her smile kept tugging downward the more he said.
He didn't talk of much else regarding Dresden and even he began to realize that it was a bit odd. How had Bernadine Ford become the center of his world there?
"Cloves," he replied simply. He had the last of a pack in his jacket pocket. He was thinking about quitting and had managed to get himself down to one or two a day. He leaned just a bit and sniffed at her hair. "You smell quite nice."
She snuggled into him a bit closer, pleasantly fuzzy, head full of swimming thoughts and images. She could feel the conflict pouring off his skin. She knew, and he knew that she knew, everything behind his confusion and the ensuing complication that she put in his life. She'd also seen enough to know that Stas would make up his mind well after the complication became physical.
He sighed very quietly, a very unusual noise to come from Anastas de Kooning.
She knew all too well what that unfamiliar sound meant. He had something to express, but he couldn't find the right starting point. "You don't have to worry about being honest with me." She'd told him much of what she'd seen during their first kiss, though she left some things about his future vague. It was best when dealing with people unaccustomed to divination. Stas seemed rather nonplussed by the whole thing, more intrigued than put off. His reaction to her ability was unusual and she found herself on uncommon ground.
Waiting seemed the best option in the end. If he was going to bend his head to hers then he was going to do it first. This needed to be his decision more than hers, though if she pushed it would certainly allay his guilt a bit.
Carly and Timmy
She almost ran headfirst into a very pretty boy with a shock of red hair. "How do I not know you, gorgeous?" she asked a bit breathlessly.
Timmy laughed, ran his hand through his hair self consciously. "I don't go to your school. I'm Abby's brother."
And the plot thickened. Carly beamed at him, semi-feral, but still seductive in an effortlessly studied way. "I'm Abby's classmate, Carly."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Tim." He extended his hand and when Carly draped her fingers over his he felt obliged to run his lips across her knuckles. She was stunningly pretty and after the little Adelaide debacle, his ego could certainly use the boost her unprovoked flirting provided.
Spin the Bottle (Just about everyone)
Luka looked mildly horrified at the prospect of spin the bottle, but he wasn't going to contradict Addy when she was so excited. He followed her to the couch and laughed. "We should play as a couple. Make the spinners kiss both of us."
"What, and like double team the person we land on?" She laughed, completely amused at the thought. "Take turns? If we get Abernathy, you have to do it. I call shotgun on not having to do it."
Cinna appeared at that point. "That's not how it works! There are like rules guys, otherwise it's just makeout anarchy! Ohmygod, seriously, you people are just..." She shook her head and grabbed the bottle from Arnaud. "Okay, if it lands between two people you have to kiss both of them no matter who they are, and if it lands on yourself you have to kiss everyone in the circle."
"No way!" Addy protested. "If it lands on yourself it's your choice who you kiss, everyone knows that!"
"Says who?!"
"Says the internet," Arnaud argued, holding up his smart phone with a google page open. Of course he'd seen it played with the other rules, but this seemed safer. "Cinna, drum up some more people. We can't play spin the bottle with two couples and the gay guy."
She huffed. Fine, they could have it their way. "Bitches!!!" She yelled as loud as she could (meaning that people four counties over probably heard). "Get your asses in the living room, we're playing spin the bottle!"
Fight aftermath: Luka and Addy
Luka was bristling still, but calmer hearing Adelaide's voice. "Yeah sure. Want to tell me now what that was all about?" Things were starting to add up and he didn't like any of the implications. "And don't even try to pretend there's not something going on."
Her brows furrowed as she cast healing charms on his lip and anywhere else it looked like he'd been punched. "I can't say I totally understand what you're asking." She had no idea what had provoked the fight, didn't know what Luka had seen her hugging Tim.
"You hugged him," Luka replied instantly. "And you were so awkward with him earlier." It was an accusation, but he couldn't pinpoint why. "He's a fucking Ford. They're all goddamn mutants."
"He's my friend," she shot back. "And you insulted his sister in front of him and embarrassed me." She ignored the last part because it was ridiculous. He only knew Abernathy and no one was denying there was all kinds of things wrong with her. But he definitely didn't know Tim or Bernadine and he had no reason to claim that.
"Friend, huh? And you figured, don't need to mention my weird association with the Fords to my boyfriend. How the fuck do you even know them?" His angry edge was starting to wear down and the irrational thoughts that followed were losing their battle to stay coherently linked to his actions.
"I did mention it! We have had this conversation!" She yelled back. "Abernathy is a fucking freak! The rest of her family are nice, normal people! Is this not ringing any bells?!"
Fight Aftermath: Timmy and Abby
"Oh shit," Tim replied as he realized where that last punch had flown.
"She's fine. A fucking champ. A proper Ford," Abby replied. She was glad they were out of earshot and she could be her usual foul-mouthed self. "Someone said you were fighting over Adelaide." It wasn't so much an accusation, just a morbid curiosity. She didn't want to know. She had to know.
Tim sighed heavily enough to blow a piggy's house down. He didn't want to have this conversation tonight. "Not on your birthday, dude," he replied with respect. "Can't ruin it for you entirely."
"Already ruined so far as I'm concerned." She looked at her watch. "Besides, we're only ten minutes in."
It was tradition in the Ford house to celebrate the girls' birthday on President's day instead of their actual date of birth. It just so happened that the day after President's day was the date this year and the party rolled over into their birthday.
"I'm into her. There. I said it. I'm sorry. I know you hate her guts and all that, but I like her. Have for a long time."
Fight Aftermath: Stas and Bernadine
"You are not Abby," he replied patiently, smoothing her face with his hand and applying a cooling spell to numb the area a bit.
She hiccuped and giggled, a peculiar sound combined and wiped futilely at her tears. "I'm sorry. Tonight's been a disaster from start to finish."
"I thought the middle was lovely," he said as his other hand moved to hold her neck fondly, traitorous hand not checking for more fight damage. "How is your head?"
"I'll be okay," she assured him, but she was still crying, still shaking from the conflict and the impact. She'd leave the running into fights to Abby from now on. And she'd have a serious conversation about her sister's conflict resolution skills with her before vacation was over.
He sat next to her on her bed, only certain it was hers because it was perfectly made and the soft pink color of the comforter on top. "Would you like to open your present now?"
Fight aftermath: Everyone else
Abby put her hand lightly on Cinna's arm. Good old Cinna, always good at directing crowds. "Uh, yeah. Sure." She shrugged apologetically to Shylock and made her way outside to find Tim. Talking was never her forte when it came to settling an argument, but she'd pretend for now.
The rest of the party started milling back to their clusters, but everyone kept whispering about the fight. "Honestly," Carly would tell anyone who would listen. "Who would fight over her?"
"Like, no one!" Shell agreed, nodding sycophantically by Carly's side. Carly was there when it started, she had to have all the info and Shell wanted to hear it all. "What do you think happened?"
Cinna pulled a face at the both of them. "Did you both have stupid pops for breakfast? Think about who you're talking to. She's making shit up." Carly never let the truth get in the way of good gossip.
"I saw the start of it," Carly replied and no one could counter that fact. She hardly needed to juice it up. "Clearly Luka Nikitin feels threatened by Timmy Ford. Not that I blame him, the boy's delicious." She talked about Tim as if he were a morsel she'd just forgotten to eat.